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Про нас

What is the Lviv Media Forum

The NGO Lviv Media Forum strengthens media, institutions, and public figures capable of fostering healthy public dialogue in Ukraine and beyond. Our goal is an effective and democratic society united by healthy communication. The organization was founded in 2013 to bring together media professionals from Ukraine and around the world in Lviv for the annual LMF conference. Over the years, we have grown into an ecosystem of people, organizations, and projects that support the media, develop comprehensive solutions for them, and promote the best media practices in Ukraine and globally. We are moving from supporting and developing media and journalists to a broader strategic focus: empowering communication actors, including media, civil society organizations, government bodies, and more.

Who We Work For

Our beneficiaries are public communication actors in Ukraine and around the world, including:

Ukrainian and international media

Civil society organizations

Media NGOs

Institutions and government bodies

Donor organizations working in the media and communication sectors

What We Do

We develop collaboration to implement effective solutions for the media environment

To achieve this, we research the media market, advocate for ideas and solutions important to our community, facilitate the exchange of expertise in the field of communication, and bring together actors on international and interdisciplinary public platforms, including the LMF conference.

We enhance the professional capacity of actors in the media and communication sectors

We provide material and psychological support to Ukrainian editorial teams and media professionals affected by Russian aggression. We conduct training sessions, consultations, and other educational activities to help media teams strengthen their capabilities. We invest in long-term strategic solutions and promote best practices in the field of communication.

We are building a cross-border community that fosters healthy public dialogue in various sectors

Among our professional events is the largest media conference in Central and Eastern Europe — LMF. We organize working visits for foreign journalists to Ukraine. Additionally, we interact and collaborate with individuals and organizations that share our values and goals.

We strengthen Ukraine's presence in global communications

by conducting research on the information space in Ukraine and beyond, organizing professional events on international platforms, and promoting the expertise of Ukrainian media professionals abroad.

Our Story

2012
Lviv became one of four Ukrainian cities that hosted matches of the European Football Championship. The communication team that coordinated media support for the championship sought ways to convert the attention of global media towards the city and Ukraine into sustainable cooperation. The idea to organize a conference was supported by the team from the School of Journalism at the Ukrainian Catholic University.
2013
The first LMF conference — “Where is the World Media Heading, and Can Ukraine Keep Up?”
History of the Emergence and Development of the LMF Conference
2014 — 2017
The organizing team worked to ensure that LMF’s impact on society and the media environment extended beyond the days of the conference. The Lviv Media Forum became a center of expert knowledge about media in Ukraine. In 2015, they launched a professional online publication for media professionals called MediaLab. In 2016, they developed Ukraine’s first interactive map of media ownership.
During this period, the organization began to hold public events — training sessions, lectures, discussions, etc. — and publish useful materials for Ukrainian media professionals. Today, online and offline events under the LMF Talks brand, which take place not only in Ukraine, have become a substantial direction of our work.
In 2017, the publishing direction of the Lviv Media Forum transformed into an independent publishing house focused on documentary and reportage literature called “Choven” (Boat).
2018 — 2020
The number of projects related to professional education and the strengthening of the media environment increased. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lviv Media Forum team decided to cancel the conference under quarantine conditions and instead focused on online events for its community and projects to support and develop Ukrainian media suffering from the economic crisis
2021
The number of projects for the media environment grew, benefiting not only Ukrainian but also foreign media professionals.
2022
The full-scale invasion of Russia prompted the organization to reassess its strategy, focusing on emergency assistance to Ukrainian journalists and media. We provided housing, money, equipment, professional advice, and any other available assistance. In the summer of 2022, we launched the largest psychological support program in Ukraine for journalists affected by the war.
The number of collaboration requests from potential partners — international organizations supporting Ukrainian media and media professionals — sharply increased, prompting the Lviv Media Forum team to expand to over 20 people.
2023
An important focus of our work, though not new, became promoting the agency of the Ukrainian media environment worldwide and strengthening support for Ukraine. In May 2023, the ninth LMF conference took place in a new format — in a bomb shelter. We launched the Reporting Ukraine Guide online resource for foreign journalists coming to Ukraine or writing about events in our country. We conducted retreats for over a hundred media professionals. We are building a research direction, striving to become a provider of knowledge about Ukrainian media for international organizations and other stakeholders in the media field.
2024 рік
The tenth LMF conference demonstrated the effectiveness of our efforts aimed at strengthening international solidarity with Ukraine.
We formalized the main areas of our work into long-term programs:
Media Excellence Program — a long-term support program aimed at the education and qualification enhancement of Ukrainian media professionals. It unites activities and opportunities from various grant projects related to consultations, training, and other forms of education.
Strategic Media Support Program — a long-term support program aimed at the growth of media.
Psychological Media Support Program — created to improve the psycho-emotional state of journalists, facilitating the restoration of internal resources and balance.
Research and Development — the research team works on large projects for Ukrainian and international organizations.
Reporting Ukraine: Field Trips — organizing visits for foreign media professionals to Ukraine.
The organization is based in Lviv. In 2022, with the onset of the large-scale war, Lviv became a key point connecting Ukraine to the outside world. For Lviv residents and guests, we provide a space for work and networking — Lviv Media Hub.